Printing press



March 21, 1944. l W. J, HASON 2,344,609

PRINTING PRES S Filed May 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Shet l ATTORNEY PRINTING PRESS Filed May '27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'IN lTo Wa//sf @fasc/7 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 21, 1944 PRINTING PRESS Walter J. Hanson, Port Chester, N. Y., assigner to Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Co., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application May 27, 1942, Serial No. 444,635

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a printing press which is particularly adapted for the printing of postage impressions upon letters.

It is one object of the invention to provide yieldable spring pressure means for the platen member of a printing press, whereby printing pressure may be maintained under spring control and whereby articles varying in thickness may be printed.

It is another object of the invention to provide ain improved form of pressure applying means for effecting movement of the platen to a printing position.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a portion of a letter printing machine, showing the platen control mechanism in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the platen in a printing position with a letter o1 normal weight impinged between the platen and printing die; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with a, letter of maximum weight impinged between the platen and printing die.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a printing die I is mounted in a stationary position within the machine frame II, and includes the usual postal indicia and value die surface for the printing of postage impressions upon letters, such as provided in known postage printing or metered mail machines.

Directly beneath the printing die I0 is a platen I2, which generally comprises a iiexible pad i3, supported in a suitable frame I4. Said frame i4 is pivotally mounted at Ilia upon one end of a lever I5, said lever being pivotally mounted upon a suitable shaft I6 supported by the frame structure II. A roller I'I, having an annular groove I8 therein, is rotatably supported by the lever I .beneath the platen I2.

Another lever I9 is pivotally mounted upon a ('Cl. lOl-297) suitable shaft 2l and has a projecting lug 2! which is normally urged against a stop 22 by means of a heavy spring 23. The spring 23 has one end anchored to an upwardly extending arm 24 of the lever I 9, and the opposite end thereof anchored to an eye bolt 25, which bolt is adjustably mounted in the rear wall I Ia of the frame II. A roller 26, having an annular groove 2l therein, is rotatably mounted at one end of the lever I9 beneath the platen I2.

A power shaft 28, supported by the .frame II, has a manually operable handle 29 secured to one end thereof, as best shown in Fig. 2. A short lever 3| is also fixed to the shaft 28 and extends downwardly therefrom, when the handle is in its normal home position, such as in Fig. l.

Associated with the lever 3l is an operating bar 32, which bar has a wedge or cam shaped forward end 3Q normally supported within the annular grooved portions I8 and 2l of the rollers Il and 26 respectively. The opposite end of said bar 32 has an elongated slot 33 therein and is normally supported on a rivet stud 34, projecting from the lower end of the lever 3|. It will thus be noted that the construction as described, provides for a floating cam or wedge element 3D.

A full stroke ratchet 35 is also xed to the power shaft 28, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and has a paw] 35 cooperating therewith to assure the full stroke of the handle 29, both forwardly and rearwardly. By means of a spring 3l having one end anchored to an arm 38, extending from ratchet member 35, the handle 29 is adapted to be returned after each forward power stroke. The platen is returned arfter a printing operation by means of a spring 4 l.

Upon rotating the power shaft 28, by pulling the handle 2B is in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, the rivet stud 34 moves along the slot 33 in bar 32, and upon engagement with the outer end 33a thereof, will effect movement of said bar rearwardly or to the right, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. During said rearward movement of the bar 32, the wedge shaped portion 3i! will move upwardly over the grooved roller 21 to drive the platen upward and effect impingement of a previously inserted letter L between the platen I2 and the printing die It. Further movement of the bar 32 will cause the wedge surface 30a of the wedge shaped end 36 to be drawn along the groove 2l of roller 26, thereby effecting a substantially vertical rise of the wedge portion of the lever 32 and roller I'I. Contact having previously been made between the letter L and the printing die i0, pressure is eiectedas the result of the wedging force acting upon the rollers Il and 26 against the tension of the spring 23. By means of this force, thedesired pressure is provided to produce a clear impression upon the letter from the printing die, and the force is obtained by a comparatively light power stroke or pull of the handle 29.

The effect of the spring tension on lever I9 to produce the force for the printing operation also serves to provide yieldability when letters heavier than the average one ounce weight letters are inserted. In Fig. 4 for example, where a letter of maximum thickness is shown, it will be noted that the lever I9 has yielded beyond the point shown in Fig. 3, where an average weight letter is shown. l

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a printing press, a stationary printing die, a movable platen, a. movable member connected with said platen and having a roller mounted thereon, a spring controlled movable member having a roller mounted thereon, a wedge movable between each of said Vrollers including means to move said Wedge during a printing cycle of operation, whereby the platen is raised to move an article thereon into engage- -ment with the printing die, and whereby print- 

